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Abstract
“Viscol”, a water soluble permanent mounting medium hardening through evaporation of water under the cover glass, has been analyzed. It proves to consist of a mixture of gum arabic, glycerol, phenol and water and is especially suitable for simple botanical preparations. The use of gum arabic for hardening permanent mounting media is reviewed. Instead of a glycerol-phenol-water mixture a lactophenol, potassium acetate or zinc chloride solution mixed with gum arabic may be used for a permanent mounting medium. However, gum arabic contains calcium, magnesium and potassium ions giving crystals with the solutions mentioned. In the case of lactophenol and potassium acetate, the calcium and magnesium ions must be removed beforehand, which is done by precipitation with sodium or potassium carbonate. In the case of zinc chloride the potassium ions must be removed, which is done by dialysis with zinc chloride. It is pointed out that the same principles may be used for a great variety of different mounting media.